Crisscrossed
by Snowpoppy
Summary: Fem!Yukimura, Marui, Akaya, Ryoma, Eiji, and Fuji. Six girls find themselves entangled in a web of crisscrossed threads. Six girls fight to keep their lives intact and preferably satisfactory. "Easier said than done, you idiot!" "Stop with the complicated metaphors!"
1. Chapter 1

**Ah... it's finally done. I know I know I KNOW I should be working on other stories, but I couldn't get this out of my head. This story was originally a challenge posted on the forums... and then my imagination was hooked...**

She felt it. She felt the passion returning. To her legs, to her body, to her soul. The feeling that had been missing for so long. Finally, she could begin plotting her return to the tennis world.

As Yukimura Seiichi, captain of the Rikkai Dai tennis team. She thought of her team every waking minute, and sometimes dreamed about them too.

The rehabilitation room was airy and filled with machines that were now silent. It was in an isolated corner of the hospital, and she liked the solitude that surrounded it at times.

She looked at Niou, who was watching her silently, a juice box in hand. Beside him sat Marui, her pretty pink-red hair matching the lollipop in her mouth. She smiled at Seiichi, encouraging her in that way of hers.

Sanada poked his head in from another room, grudging concern on his face. "Keep going," He said awkwardly and retreated into the small lobby where he was sitting and waiting. Seiichi had to smile. She found him quite adorable at times. A comfortable silence ensued.

Seiichi coughed a little, and was alarmed when she found her lungs suddenly jamming up. Her legs too. Like they were being numbed. She hacked some more and felt all the feeling draining out of her limbs.

A tiny droplet of blood landed on the floor as she gave one last wheeze and folded in half.

She collapsed, just as she was beginning her rehabilitation. Her return.

* * *

Seiichi opened her eyes to the smell of medicine and disinfectant. Her eyes widened, her pupils narrowing to tiny slits as she struggled to sit up. But found she couldn't.

The light was killing her eyes. Compared to the whitewashed walls, it was like the sun. Except it was a light bulb. The smell of disinfectant hung over the room, but you could smell bleach and french fries too. That was the smell of the hospital.

A nurse bustled in.

"What's happening?!" She cried, her voice dry and croaky. How long had she been out? Why couldn't she move?

The nurse smiled, but her eyes were dark and gloomy. "The doctor will tell you," She said, setting a glass of water on the table beside Seiichi, who realized that she could barely lift her arms. Slowly, the horrifying truth dawned on her.

"I've... had a relapse, haven't I?"

The nurse looked up worriedly. "Yes," She said slowly. "But the doctor will tell you more," She repeated. A knock sounded on the door. The nurse plastered a flat smile on her face, glad to have a distraction.

"Your friends are here," She chirped with fake enthusiasm. "Very handsome too," She said, going to open the door. Seiichi nodded duly. One by one, they filed into her room.

Sanada. His eyes had dark circles under them, and he was hovering by a plant in the corner.

Yanagi. He betrayed no emotion, but his eyes were open and sharp. This time, he didn't have his data book. He was standing beside Sanada.

Niou. There was no laughter in his step as he walked slowly to his captain's bedside.

Marui. Her shoulders were sagging, which emphasized her thin frame even more. She looked like a waif next to Seiichi's bed.

Yagyuu. Opaque glasses hid his eyes, but his mouth was thin and set, with one side drooping down. He nervously paced the room, not quite sure what to do.

Jackal. Somehow, his bald head seemed even more polished, covered by a thin layer of cold sweat.

Akaya. She was quivering all over. Like Jackal, her hair (and Jackal's lack of it) had gone rather flat.

It was so painful, looking at them. Akaya's eyes were round and large, worried. Seiichi wanted to ruffle her short boyish hair, but couldn't even find the strength to speak.

"I'm so sorry," Akaya said. "Buchou!" Unshed tears were forming in her eyes. Seiichi looked away. She could not bear to let them see the wetness on her cheeks that she couldn't wipe away.

There was no lollipop in Marui's mouth anymore. Seiichi looked at her and asked, "How long have I been out?"

"A day," She answered. Seiichi felt numb. Had the operation not worked? Had she not survived? Had she not triumphed?

Akaya threw herself onto Seiichi's bed and cried. Cried and cried. In between her sobs, she managed to choke out, "Buchou! I'm... crying... crying... for you. I'm crying for you, 'Mura-buchou!"

She had never been one to cry. This was the first time Seiichi had actually seen her cry. But when Akaya cried, she cried. Really cried.

Yanagi noted that Seiichi's lids were growing heavier every time she blinked.

Seiichi closed her eyes and felt the wetness seep through the sheets. She could almost feel the salty bitterness, soaking her heart.

When Seiichi couldn't bear to look at her team any longer, she closed her eyes and let her blue hair fall over her face. Let sleep slowly encase her. It almost felt like a coffin.

The last thing she heard was, "Sorry. We have to give her medicine to her now."

And then, "Okay. Bye, Yukimura."

(Dream)

When she opened her eyes, a sea of eager faces surrounded her, alive with hope and passion. She bit her tongue, looking for someone she knew.

Her senpai had all gone into high school now, and she felt rather like a fish out of water.

Akaya was standing in front, jumping up and down like an energizer bunny. Marui was standing beside her, chewing apple-flavored gum, the sugar kind.

Soon, she spotted all her teammates' faces in the crowd, beaming (or their version of it) up at her. There were new faces that she didn't recognize either, but otherwise the courts were still the same.

"Alright!" She said. "This is going to be the best year Rikkai Dai is going to experience in a long time." Cheers rose, though ninety percent of the noise came from a tearful Akaya, who was wildly flailing around with excitement.

"We're going through this together. And we're going to win! We, Rikkai Dai, are going to win together!" She raised her fist in a rare fit of feeling, immediately feeling embarrassed.

"We are going to win together!" The faces chorused, bright and young. "Together!" They repeated.

(End dream)

Seiichi awoke feeling woozy. Somewhere, an alarm beeped. A doctor was sitting beside her, clipboard in hand. Her parents, too, were in the room. She was so tired. Was she sedated?

She noticed that some things had changed in her room. A teddy bear was sitting beside her now. The plant had moved to the other corner. Her mom's vanilla perfume laced the air.

The doctor leaned closer. "She's awake," He said quietly. Seiichi noticed her parents' faces were red and blotchy. It couldn't be because of her, right?

She struggled to sit up, and the doctor slowly tilted her bed until she was in a sitting position. She looked expectantly at the doctor, putting a calm lid on her emotions. She knew what was going to come.

The doctor said nothing at first. He measured her heartbeat and recorded it on his clipboard. He had a lot of papers, she noticed. It was probably paperwork. For her.

He was a middle-aged man with a balding head. He had those glasses with insanely thick lenses on, and was squinting down at his clipboard. His white coat was slightly rumpled, and there were no laugh lines to his eyes.

Seiichi's parents walked over. They had been crying, and hadn't done a great job washing their faces either. Her dad's usually flawlessly polished glasses now had specks of dust and was stained everywhere.

"Honey," her mom began, voice cracking. "Oh, honey," She said, the look in her eyes betraying the painful emotion she was feeling. "I..."

Seiichi's dad leaned over. "Sei, you'll get better. When you get better, I'll make you a pizza with extra cheese on it, okay? Sei?" He whispered into her ear.

All she could do was nod. And nod.

Her mom stroked her daughter's face and said, "Don't worry too much, okay? The doctors will cure you, and you won't have to go through this again." She managed a weak smile.

After a moment's thought, she began on another motherly discourse. "Are you sure you're eating well? Do you want me to bring some food from home? Maybe I could-"

"I'm fine, mom," Seiichi cut her mom off, anxious to get the whole thing over with. Though she did want her mom's cooking. Just a bit.

"So... Yukimura-san," The doctor began in slow, almost hypnotic voice. "You've had a relapse, as you should have figured out by now." In a flatter, monotonous voice he proceeded to tell her parents the options available.

"You can do plasmapheresis or intravenous immunoglobulin, both of which are generally effective."

"Or, you can attempt another operation, which may be life-threatening. Though you survived it the last time."

The doctor smiled pleasantly. "It's your choice," He said, looking at her parents, who nodded. They chimed, "Seiichi, it's your choice..." Though their eyes clearly belied the choice they wanted Seiichi to make.

The first two would make her better. Leave her alive, but with impaired mobility.

The third could kill her, but give her a complete recovery.

How was it a choice? Seiichi closed her eyes for a split second and then opened them. "Give me a day to think, okay?" The doctor briskly nodded, but said, "Only a day. We need to begin the treatments or operation immediately."

He rose, his white coat flapping, and nodded politely to Seiichi's parents. The door closed behind them with a click.

Seiichi looked at her parents, so unsure of what to do. She decided to give them a break. "You can go now. I need some alone time." Her parents almost looked relieved.

Her mom caressed Seiichi's hair gently and said, "We'll come back tomorrow, okay? You'll be fine, honey." But she knew as much as Seiichi did that she was lying to herself.

They left the room, shutting the door gently, and the room fell into masked silence. Seiichi looked at the window next to her bed, with its sheer white curtains lightly drawn aside, showing the bright blue sky with a few wisps of white in the corner.

It was so very boring, lying in a bed and having nothing to do.

Seiichi thought about her choices. Was tennis really more important to her than death? Or life? Would it be too painful to live without tennis?

Was her life too valuable to risk? After all, a person had only one soul and life.

Her thoughts went see-sawing like this for quite a while. One moment, deciding to take the operation and go in bravely; like a martyr of tennis; the other moment being scared and deciding to take the easier treatments.

It was and wasn't a choice. Seiichi was confused by it all- couldn't God just send down an angel or something from heaven? And do something?

A head poked in through the doorway. From its color, it was probably Marui. Seiichi was glad for a distraction, no matter how short. "Come in, Bunta." The girl cautiously walked in.

"I'm not disturbing you or anything, right? Buchou?" She was worried, Seiichi could tell. Unlike her usual self.

"No," She said softly. She tried to find something to talk about, but nothing came to mind. Bunta was such a kind girl. Seiichi had always felt so sorry for these kind, lovely girls. For they would always be taken advantage of; always have the burden of carrying so many extra emotions.

Seiichi had never been particularly kind. Whatever kind, nice things she had done... well, she had done them out of obligation.

Bunta just sat on the edge of her hospital bed, looking out the window. She looked down at her captain and said, "Buchou. You're probably not going to play tennis again, are you?"

Her eyes had such a pained, faraway look. Seiichi smiled. Bunta had always been so intuitive to other people's thoughts and emotions. "Yeah," Seiichi said, choking the word out.

"Will you keep it a secret, Bunta?" Seiichi looked at her friend, willing her to say yes. She saw the tears on the edge of Bunta's eyes. But still she pushed on. "Don't tell the others, okay?"

"Okay," She replied. "Okay."

Seiichi wondered how many secrets Bunta had had to keep. Tens? Hundreds? Hundred of secrets spilled onto her kind heart? Seiichi realized that she was adding another secret, another pound of rocks, to her pile.

And still she did it willingly.

Sometimes, Seiichi found the world very ironic.

No more tears fell out of her eyes. There were none. There was only a lingering heaviness that somehow crushed her chest.

**How was it? Thanks so much to Waa for beta-ing this and making it infinitely better! (I had no idea my writing was so flawed. xD) **


	2. Chapter 2

**First update of the year! I feel so proud of myself. ^_^ Thanks to Kurayami-9 and SamLim29 for reviewing! And Guest, wherever you are. And to all of you who have favorited/followed this story of mine.**

**And, thanks to Waa for beta-ing this, because without Waa this chapter would've been A LOT worse. (Believe me.) **

**Happy New Year to all, and enjoy!**

Her captain could be dying, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Her captain was lying in a hospital bed unable to do anything, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Her best friend was suffering, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Her best friend had lost the one thing she loved the most- tennis- and she couldn't do anything about it.

Not a single thing in the world.

Bunta was thinking about it all, and those four things kept repeating in her head. Not even the sight of Akaya, her hair still rather limp, jumping up and down cheered her up.

Even in the busy streets of Kanagawa, Bunta couldn't concentrate. The brightly lettered signs distracted her as the two girls sidestepped a group of college students holding cups of ice cream, talking happily among themselves. Skyscrapers dominated the skyline, but the two were headed for an older place with more history. Streets lined with idiosyncratic shops and an assortment of people wandering to and fro at a much slower pace than in the downtown.

Suddenly, Akaya piped up. "Hey, instead of going to the park, let's get some ice cream!" They had been heading to a city park for some peace and quiet, but the sight of ice cream had distracted Akaya. She was happy to be away from home. Bunta could tell when her parents were fighting, because then a flood of phone calls from Akaya arrived.

And Bunta, who had been avoiding sugar the whole day, was distracted too. She had been too busy moping around the house to go to the store to buy some ice-cream. Too busy moping to even to get up from the couch. Until Akaya had called her, that is.

She licked her lips and nodded slowly. "Okay, then," She replied. "Let's go to Ice-cream Cafe, then. It's my favorite." She was friends with the owner there. Sometimes he gave her a discount.

"Okay!" Bunta had to smile at her kohai's cheerfulness. Akaya noticed that though Bunta's mouth was curved up, her eyes were flat. She bit her lip and grabbed Bunta's wrist, breaking into a run, dodging an old man walking with a cane. Maybe some ice-cream would cheer her normally-sunny senpai up. And herself.

The tall skyscrapers slowly transformed into smaller, homelier shops and restaurants. Ice-cream Cafe resided on a small corner, a large blue sign spelling out its name in big, bold kanji. A tall potted plant stood by its entrance. Bunta stroked its rough leaves as she walked in through the door, Akaya squeezing through alongside her.

A bell rung sweetly as the door opened. An elderly man wearing an Ice-cream Cafe apron looked up kindly. He waved as he saw Bunta, who was a regular customer. "Welcome, Marui-chan. And your friend."

"I'm Kirihara Akaya!" Akaya burst out, angry that she was being referred to as just a "friend". The white-haired man smiled, surprised, and nodded. "Kirihara-chan," He said.

Bunta walked up to the counter and looked up at the large menu. "I'll have my regular, please," She told the owner, who nodded obligingly and pressed a few buttons on his cash register.

Akaya stared at the menu. She couldn't decide between chocolate mint or cookie dough. "Can I get... both?" She looked at Marui, who shook her head.

Akaya continued debating inside her head.

"How about... we save one for 'Mura-buchou?" Akaya suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "Her favorite flavor is...?" Akaya searched her head. Yukimura had mentioned it before, right?

"Chocolate mint," Bunta put in. She was already drawing out her wallet, having packed ten dollars. "Here," She handed over the money to the owner, who confirmed,"Strawberry, cookie dough, and chocolate mint? One cup each?"

Bunta nodded. After a moment's thought, she added, "Can you get us a bag of ice as well?" The man looked up, surprised, but said yes. He went into the back, and soon returned with a tray of ice-cream and a small bag filled with ice.

"Thanks," The red-haired teenager said and took the tray, balancing it on one hand while handing the ice bag to Akaya, who followed her to an empty table by the windows in the corner.

Bunta spooned some of the sweet, fruity strawberry ice-cream into her mouth. It was refreshingly cold, and somehow awakened her brain. Sugar, of course, always did that for her.

Across from her, Akaya took an enormous spoonful of cookie dough into her wide, waiting mouth. Obviously relishing it, she quickly finished her cup in a matter of minutes, and then looked greedily over at Bunta, who was still eating her sweet snack.

It didn't take long for Bunta to finish; they stood up and put the chocolate mint ice-cream inside the bag of ice- to keep it from melting. After thanking the owner, Bunta left, the bell chiming sweetly behind her.

Akaya gave one last longing glance at Ice-cream Cafe as they turned the corner. She wished that she could stay in that happy, happy place forever. It was so small, and the coziness felt like what a "home" was supposed to feel like.

Her home was like an ice mansion, freezing in atmosphere and laughter.

Akaya was in a good mood. She felt that getting ice-cream (even if it cost extra money) for Yukimura-buchou was her good deed of the day. So she felt relieved, like she wasn't the most horrible, selfish person on the earth.

After ten minutes of walking, the Kanagawa Regional Hospital came into view. It was tall and modern, with no-nonsense windows and concrete walls.

Bunta walked up to the receptionist, who looked expectantly up at her. "We're here to see Yukimura Seiichi," She said. The receptionist nodded and turned to her computer.

"Room 236, on the third floor."

Bunta already knew that. Checking in with the receptionist was what you were supposed to do, right? She didn't want to be kicked out of the hospital on accounts of breaking the rules or something.

The elevator ride was a long one. Akaya was visibly excited, the ice-cream shaking up and down until Bunta told her, "Quit fidgeting." Akaya stopped, surprised. Bunta wasn't usually this snappy.

But of course, 'Mura-buchou was sick.

And that made all the difference.

There was a tall, gray-haired nurse who was standing just inside room 236. She was mean-looking, with a long sharp nose and tightly pinched lips that looked (to Akaya) as if they could bite someone's head off.

Bunta smiled uncertainly, raising the cup of ice-cream to show the nurse. "We're here... uh, because we thought she might like some... ice-cream."

The nurse looked at them for a moment and shook her head firmly. "No dairy products allowed for Yukimura-san. It might cause phlegm to rise up in her throat, and that could cause a breathing difficulty." Her words were well-rehearsed.

"But-" Akaya began protesting.

"Do you want to kill your friend?" The nurse harshly snapped. Evidently, she had experience in dealing with kids like Akaya. Who wanted something she, as a nurse, could not allow.

Akaya was stricken. "No," She whispered quietly. "No... but 'Mura-buchou likes ice-cream..."

The nurse's steel face softened a touch. With it, the whitewashed walls seemed to soften as well.

"Akaya? Is that you?" Seiichi's voice came from within the room. The nurse, whose name tag read Ueda Hitomi, glanced back and then turned to Bunta. "You can visit her, but no ice-cream allowed."

Akaya ignored the nurse. "Yeah! Buchou, it's me," She shouted in reply. As proof of her speed, she whooshed by the poor nurse and in a flash, Bunta followed her too. The nurse was left standing (stunned) in the doorway.

Seiichi had on a slightly frazzled expression, almost dazed. Her sheets were clean, though they had been rumpled by her tossing and turning. A half-empty glass of water stood by her bedside, a cheery yellow straw matching the teddy bear sitting next to it. Get-well cards covered the walls, the smiley-faces grinning back at Bunta, almost menacingly.

Honestly, in Bunta's point of view, their captain did not look well. Her hair was straggly, and her shoulders were somehow drawn and bony. Maybe she hadn't been eating well...

Seiichi's head turned to the two of them. When she spoke, it was in a strangely quiet, lonely voice: "Thanks for bringing the ice-cream..."

She was about to say more, but Akaya interrupted her with a eager smile. "Here! It's chocolate mint. Marui said it was your favorite flavor!" Something in her voice seemed forced, but she kept up the enthusiasm.

"Akaya..." Seiichi's voice was tired and sad. It stopped both of the girls in their tracks. Bunta detected something in her friend's eyes. It reminded her of a bottomless pit, filled with nothing.

"Yeah...?" Akaya looked worriedly at her captain.

All of a sudden, tears sprung to Akaya's eyes. A thin layer of tears covered her eyes, but she didn't cry. Seiichi looked away, thinking that she herself was the cause of Akaya's tears.

It's like she's ready to cry at any moment, Bunta thought. Like a box of dynamite.

Bunta felt a giant weight come onto her shoulders. The sunshine streaming in from the window seemed terribly wrong to her. Everything was so wrong. She had an inkling of why the tears had come so fast to Akaya... why she was always so excited to be away from her "home"... why she had never talked about her parents before...

Seiichi spoke up again. "You can leave the ice-cream there. I'll eat it." Her voice was flat, and it scared Bunta. Her only comfort was that there was still the same gentleness that she admired so in Seiichi.

"Okay," Bunta said, temporarily relieving the pressure in the small room. "Then... do you want us to stay?" She awkwardly asked, not sure of Seiichi wanted their company or not.

"Akaya... you can go... Bunta, will you stay? I have something I need to tell you." Seiichi looked pleadingly at Akaya, who was hurt. Did buchou like Bunta more than her?

These days, it seemed as if no one wanted to be with Akaya.

"Alright," The second-year consented, slowly walking out of the room. Bunta could hear the quiet footsteps as Akaya padded down the hallway, no doubt trying to hold the tears in.

Once Seiichi was sure Akaya was gone, her head turned to Bunta's questioning eyes. "Bunta..." She began.

"I think... I'm not going to undergo the operation." The words came out like a steel ball dropping to the ground.

Bunta fell silent.

"I'm so scared... Bunta," Seiichi's eyes became almost hysterical, barely hidden by a layer of agitated calm. "I'm only fourteen."

"It's okay, Seiichi..." Bunta said, the weight on her shoulders becoming heavier by the second. She had no idea why Seiichi had chosen her to tell. Had she told Sanada yet?

"I don't know, I don't know. What if I never play tennis again...?" Seiichi looked into Bunta's eyes, giving her a look of desperation. As if she could make everything right. Yeah, sure.

"What about our Nationals title?" She asked rhetorically, her thoughts lost inside her mind.

"I was so scared... right before the last operation." Seiichi's pupils were dilated, and her breaths were coming in hard and fast. Bunta guessed she was going to ramble for quite a bit. That was her friend's habit whenever she was upset; talk for a whole hour and then shut herself away somewhere.

"I won't be able to stand it again, this time. I know. I know I won't be able to. I want to play tennis. Tennis? Tennis. Oh god, what am I saying...?" Seiichi's voice trailed away.

Bunta had no idea what to say. "Calm, calm, it's going to be okay," She managed, though she herself was most definitely not okay.

The nurse, Ueda, hurried in. She squeezed out something about "hyperventilating" and "sedatives" and pushed Bunta out the door.

As she looked back in, she could see Seiichi's mouth form the words "I don't want to die" as a sedative was pumped into her blood.

The nurse took away the ice-cream and threw it in the trash. She knew her patient would never eat it. She couldn't even move her arms, and wouldn't stand being fed by someone else.

She pitied her younger patients. They were so often young, happy people with the worst luck imaginable. But, she shrugged to herself, it was not in her position to think about that.

* * *

Akaya was walking across the sidewalk, her head down, when she bumped into someone. "Oi," She retorted flatly and looked at the offending person.

It was Echizen Ryoma, the pretty female freshman from Seigaku she had heard so much about about. Echizen was dressed in a pretty white cardigan and black jeans, looking very much like the lady, while Akaya was wearing a baggy grey hoodie and sweatpants.

"I'm visiting Yukimura-san," She said simply, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Go away," Akaya said angrily, running past the girl. Why couldn't she stop the tears? As she got closer and closer to her home, a sense of foreboding filled Akaya.

It was back to another evening of endless arguing and tense silences. A purple bruise began to ache on Akaya's back.

**How was it? I wanted to clarify that this story does not just focus on one character- it revolves around six. The ones mentioned in the summary, all Fem!. Yeah, I know I'm crazy but whatever. :) **

**Each character will get her turn, don't worry. **

**Review and you'll get a special air-hug from ore-sama! **


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